Review of Folsom San Francisco – An Amazing Nonstop Activity

Justin, a frequent Folsom Visitor, is telling us in an interview and event diary about his experiences during the Folsom Street Fair weekend in San Francisco.

MasterMarc: Hi Justin, I know it was a hard week at work after a long and intense FOLSOM weekend. Now you’re back in New Jersey. How was your weekend in San Francisco?

Justin in action

Justin: Hello MasterMarc, HA yes recovering the week after a long and intense Folsom weekend in San Francisco is hard but even harder since I’ve been on a nonstop kink marathon the past month having also attended GNI (Gay Naturist International), Delta, Inferno camping events! The weekend in San Francisco was nonstop activities for me. I no longer go to San Francisco for the city and tourist sights. I am there primarily to attend events and be with friends.

MasterMarc: It wasn’t your first Folsom. How many times have you visited it and has it changed during this time?

Justin: This was not my first Folsom. Wow, I don’t think I can even count exactly how many I have attended though I recently did try to count and I believe this was my seventh. Folsom has changed a bit but not exactly with an answer you might expect. Yes, vendors come and go over the years, as well as where their booths are located, but for me Folsom has changed by the way I attend it. In the beginning, I was there to see the fair, witness it and capture as much as I could that was going on around me. Now I attend to be with the people and be a part of Folsom.

MasterMarc: Can you tell our readers who haven’t been at a Folsom yet, how they have to imagine the event, the ambiance and what they can see there?

Justin: First imagine a standard street fair. There are booths for vendors that are down the center of Folsom Street. The side streets have beverages (beer, juice, water) as well as street fair food (corn dogs, teriyaki chicken kabobs, etc). The difference is that for the Folsom Street Fair the type of vendors range from S&M merchandise (paddles, canes, etc) for purchase to “donate your ass for charity” where you can donate money and be spanked to a boot black fund raiser tent where you donate money and your boots are cleaned/polished. Years ago, when I first started to attend the Folsom Street Fair porn companies had booths. They sold porn. Porn models made appearances to take pictures with you and sign your DVDs. Times have changed and so have the methods to purchase porn. Since DVDs are out in favor for online streaming…the porn booths with the models no longer are present (big bummer)! Health services are also present to test you for HIV for free too. The ambiance is absolute fun. I recommend that everyone get to the fair promptly in the morning to get the opportunity to see the vendor booth. Once the masses of people converge on the street in the early afternoon navigating the booths is not that easy. You snooze you lose. This is one day of the year so make the most of it to witness it right from the start. In the morning since the street is fairly open there is enough room for the ponies pulling their masters in carts to have their parade. In all the years I have been going I finally caught it this year! Over the course of the day you will see plenty of hot guys wearing their harnesses, sports gear, uniforms and even guys completely naked (my preferred attire). Women are present as well and frequently go topless. If you see a crowd forming that is 3, 4 and even 5 or more people deep then chances are there is a live demonstration going on in the center of the crowd. The more people…the hotter it usually is.

Justin’s Folsom Diary

Friday

Good morning (day after first event) my thoughts waking up are “know your limits. Listen to your body. Pace yourself”. You might think you know what I am referring to by those 3 sentences but you are most likely wrong. I mean when you are at a party late and you hear yourself say “I should go” – yes that’s when you should leave. As you are going back to your room and you feel hungry – stop – eat – yes it might be 1am or some other time you would absolutely not eat. Consider sleep a very important event this weekend. Resting is as important an event as playing hard. You wouldn’t start a scene hungry or thirsty – don’t go to bed hungry or thirsty this weekend. I ate a chicken sandwich and had chocolate milk as I was walking home. Choose your events and plan rest so you can make reasonable, intelligent, sane decisions when you are playing. There are more events going than you can handle so be a smart player to yourself.

Friday Night

Friday night, Sept 23 KUF (Kinksters Under Forty) sponsor required if you were over 40. $30 entry. Seedy part of town. Lots of homeless on the street especially at 1am when the party finished. I have NYC attitude and walk with purpose. I did not feel unsafe even alone. The event is held at the Citadel. It is a nice location on the second floor. Plenty of light and equipment. Social area for conversation with drinks and snacks provided. I was approached by one guy who verbalized my thoughts exactly “pretty crowd with plenty of attitude.” Lots of sports gear worn. Would say the event leans more towards fucking than BDSM though there was bondage, flogging etc. Youth and a lack of leadership showed because they thought nothing of leaving equipment uncleaned or even a used condom on the floor once they were finished. I did find a handsome German to tie me up, torture my balls and beat my ass.

MasterMarc: The U.S. is not really a liberal country if we talk about sex. But Folsom seems to be the big exception … What happened there on the street during the day?

Justin: Unfortunately, in the United States you can easily tune in to general television and watch people have gun fights, blow each other up or do any number of horrific things to each other for ‘entertainment’. Show too much skin and it becomes a scandal! Until very recent times (about 2 years ago) it was entirely legal to be completely naked on the street in San Francisco. Well, as with anything the militant nudists pushed the issue and were spending every day outside naked. Combine that with the homogenization of gay neighborhoods with straights and a clash of opinions took place. It is a very real conversation that the gay neighborhood of San Francisco (the Castro) is losing its gayness because of families moving in. Gay couples have children are becoming more and more mainstream too. Gay stores/bars having their rents hiked beyond reason have them closing. These are entirely different topics but my point is that San Francisco has a liberal acceptance unlike any of the other big U.S. cities today. When the law to prevent nudity went into place a few years ago there was a very specific clause (which I am not going to try to quote but merely paraphrase) that allows nudity at an event like the Folsom Street Fair which has a permit. Without citing the clause I believe that because the Folsom Street Fair has a “gate” and/or a permit etc it fits within the law to allow nudity. During the day on the street it is allowable for men and women to be completely naked with their genitals exposed. I did see demonstrations of flogging, whipping, spanking over the course of the day at the fair. Last year Castrokink sent me home with a very tender backside that made my 6 hour flight a memorable one! My understanding is that actual sexual ‘events’ are not permitted…though I did see a penis fall into a mouth a few times and many erections that were being checked for firmness. Police were present the entire day and frequently were seen wandering the booths and demos. They saw everything no doubt, were smiling and kept walking. I even got my picture taken with 2 police officers and I was completely naked.

MasterMarc: Hey Jason, it sounds as you’ve had fun in San Franciso and you’ve made a lot of people, who haven’t visited Folsom yet, a little jealous. It was great to talk to you and we’re looking forward to read your next report.

Saturday Morning

Saturday morning, Sept 24 After breakfast with friends from Georgia and Utah we went to wander the incredible Farmers Market at the Embarcadero Ferry Building and Pier. Has everything from fresh produce, flowers to an incredible mushroom store with truffles and stalls with various dried jerky meats. At 10am there was to be a Body Art Festival. By 10:30am there were 5 naked older men holding up poorly prepared signs. Watched for 10 minutes and left – it was very unplanned. I’ve attended many nude activist events in S.F. and this was sadly the worst. I enjoy participating but could not bring myself to strip down and be a part of this.

Saturday Afternoon

Saturday afternoon, Sept 24 the Mr. S Leather (store). This is just about an annual tradition. The store is packed with men, many completely naked, shopping and drinking beer. It is a wonderful afternoon to see friends in town for the weekend, instigate each other to buy new leather/gear, drink a beer and just have fun! Mostly attended by men but there were a few women in the crowd as well. No entry fee (but trust me you will find something to buy) and although the beer is free there is a donation bucket with a charity that will benefit. A must attend event just because it is fun but be warned – it is crowded.

Saturday Evening

Saturday evening, Sept 24 The 15 Association (more info can be found on their website the15association.org) but in short they are the longest-standing gay male BDSM Association in the western USA. It is a volunteer organization with premier BDSM Players who mentor by example. The Folsom weekend party was sold out and tickets (cost $25) were not available at the door. This was sadly the last party at this specific dungeon because the landlord did not extend the lease. A new dungeon space will be announced shortly. I am not typically one to keep a formal “dance card” to map out my evening. I prefer things to happen organically. If you see me free and want to play – grab me and take me away. I had 3 scenes that night all with fellow brothers of the 15 Association. First was an electric scene – I stopped just before the cattle prod! Second was an erotic touch scene with each of us discovering a specific turn on body part. For him I realized his nipples were really wired and for me my balls. Third scene was a bondage scene. I was tied hands behind my back, laid face down on a table, feet tied to the corners and Sir went face first into my ass before working me with a plug. Unfortunately the party was wrapping up so we finished quickly. I volunteered to help clean up after the party.

Sunday Morning

Sunday morning prior to the Folsom Street Fair I met with a photographer who I met at Dore Alley. He asked if I was interested in doing a photo shoot with him during the weekend but as you can see my weekend was quite full. We decided to meet on the street and do a nude shoot outdoors. Met at 10am, stripped naked and found interesting walls, fences etc to pose while he took shots. Was fun especially when the people started to show up because we were talking them into getting naked and taking pictures with us! Once the fair was in full force we both got distracted, I found my friends and we got separated.

Sunday Evening

Sunday early evening after the Folsom Street Fair. I went back to the Castro with Sir and the boys. Since 3 were under 21 years of age they were sent to a restaurant while Sir and one boy went with me to the bar called 440. We got drinks. Then Sir decided to go out to smoke. Before he left he tied one of our arms together with a yellow hankie…”amuse yourselves” and he left. I pinned the boy to the wall. Raised his free arm over his head, gently licked the edge of his shaved his armpit. He moaned and his eyes closed. I raised my left knee up into his crotch against his balls. My right leg was at a 45 degree angle to leverage him into the wall. I taught him breath exchange which further transported him to subspace. By the time Sir returned this boy was deep into subspace. We had an amazing time and I am sure the other patrons in the bar were thrilled with our show.